EYE ON MIAMI: Help Restore Pine Rockland and Coastal Wetlands - ...

EYE ON MIAMI: Help Restore Pine Rockland and Coastal Wetlands - ...: Need a break from the election? Do something to make a difference out enjoying nature. Date: October Saturday 22- Sunday 23 Time: 8:3...

From Eye On Miami -
Need a break from the election? Do something to make a difference out enjoying nature.

Date: October Saturday 22- Sunday 23
Time: 8:30 AM- 3:00 PM
Location: 18400 Old Cutler Rd, Cutler Bay, Fl 33157
*SE corner of Old Cutler Rd and SW 184 st. Park along curb on 184 st east side of Old Cutler Rd.

*Please bring sunscreen, mosquito repellent and work gloves. Water and snacks will be provided*

What is this effort about:

Florida's coastal communities and our Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and extreme weather events are being intensified by climate change. This is why local community restoration efforts of coastal habitats like in Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay are critical to reduce the impacts where rapid development is threatening neighborhoods and safety.

Please learn more and join these efforts by coming to our workdays 10/22 & 23. Come experience an ecosystem restoration hands on. Volunteers are wanted to continue to restore coastal wetlands, pine rocklands, and hammock habitat. Please, help create a natural buffer that will protect us and bring resiliency to our community. We will be planting native plants, mulching, and weeding.

You can also make a donation online The raised money will be used to buy hundreds of native plants and trees, and supplies.
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SDU Editor note: You never know who will be in attendance at this event - and perhaps, if there is interest, time and things fall into place, we can have a tour of the Park that 3 out of 5 Palmetto Bay council members voted to protect through TDRs - the 22 acre PBVC site - a site that currently has mature pines and needs some love, but certainty no to development.

 (Photos above - 22 acre pinelands at PBVC - left - the Old Cutler Run club using it as part of their run trail and to the right, members of the Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition touring the site.)

Congrats to Palmetto Bay's Larissa Siegel Lara. EYE ON MIAMI: Eye on Miami 2016 Political Beauty Contest Winner:...

EYE ON MIAMI: Eye on Miami 2016 Political Beauty Contest Winner:...: 2016 Political Beauty Contest Winner I can't even remember if I held a contest in 2015 but past winners include Christine Fraga, Osca...

Eye on Miami 2016 Political Beauty Contest Winner: Councilwoman Lara Siegel of Palmetto Bay. By Geniusofdespair -

This is not to be taken lightly.  The bloggers at Eye On Miami are very critical and they never are shy about calling people out.  This Eye On Miami post represents an outstanding positive mention concerning one of the hardest working members of our village Council. 

Council Member Siegel Lara is currently hard at work with staff completing our Palmetto Bay updated Strategic Plan.  The final presentation will be at the July 11 council meeting.  Council Member Siegel Lara has an outstanding eye for detail and always comes to meetings well-prepared. She is a strong advocate for public participation, particularly as to our village parks.  She has been one of my most important partners in regard to transportation initiatives, including traffic calming efforts. 

As Eye On Miami notes:

I picked Larissa (Siegel Lara) with great thought, not basing it just on her exceptional beauty. I watched this video and I was impressed with her intellect and poise. I met her briefly at County Commissioner Xavier Suarez's fundraising gala and remember she was well appointed dress-wise - very elegant in a demure way.

Click the link above, or CLICK HERE to view the entire Eye On Miami post. 

Congratulations Larissa, it is my honor to serve along side you.

EYE ON MIAMI: The Most Fabulous Interview Ever! Don't Miss This ...

EYE ON MIAMI: The Most Fabulous Interview Ever! Don't Miss This ...: Top: County Commissioners Xavier Suarez, Daniella Levine Cava and Juan Zapata. End of top: Candidates Grace Solares for City of Miami ...

Eye on Miami- Everything you could ever possibly want to know - henceforth to be known simply as "The Interview”: The Most Fabulous Interview Ever! Don't Miss This One!! By Geniusofdespair

Yes, some questions were silly (as stated by Genius), but can’t we have some fun? These are the questions that has kept Genius up late at night, or, as put by Genius; you know, the really important things. Now the lobbyists will know what ice cream to bring them!

Mayor Flinn’s personal note to lobbyists:  I really don’t get visited often (if ever at all) by lobbyists, but if a meeting is requested, I would prefer meeting in public on a nice long bike ride over ingesting the calories of Ice Cream. 

There are answers here from several of our County Commissioners, some municipal Mayors and two candidates. Read on and enjoy.  Thank you Genius of Despair.

 

EYE ON MIAMI: Vote For Eugene Flinn in Palmetto Bay. Guest Blog ...

EYE ON MIAMI: Vote For Eugene Flinn in Palmetto Bay. Guest Blog ...: Letter to the editor of Miami Herald: As a long-time community advocate living in Palmetto Bay, I am very disappointed in the maneuverings...

Click the link above to read the entire post.  It is a great read, if I do say so myself, on the Eye on Miami Blog.

Thank you everyone, for all the love and support.  This campaign has been so positive. Let's work together to continue the vision of Palmetto Bay!

EYE ON MIAMI: Picture of the Day: Purple Heart Men. By Geniusofd...

EYE ON MIAMI: Picture of the Day: Purple Heart Men. By Geniusofd...: Click on Eye on Miami for the full story and photos. How often do you go to dinner and have the opportunity to meet up with not one, but two Purple Hear Recipients?  Now that is 'rare air' in the company of two heros. A birthday dinner at local Palmetto Bay establishment French Bistro results in Bob Messer (Vietnam) meeting up with Robert Bohm (WW II). 

By the way, I cannot reveal the name of the blogger who celebrated the birthday, but let's just say that for this one special day, the "Eye" was on the blogger.

The Palmetto Bay Village Center proposal: When is the timing right to disclose to the public?

I will have more to say about this, but as I continue to investigate, it does not escape notice that the Concerned Citizens of Old Cutler (CCOCI) have not spoken up either in support or against this plan.  I have texted the CCOCI president and asked to speak with him. 

 

This issue is more than whether you approve or object of the proposed 41 homes. There is a serious issue in regard to the process or lack of public process that ultimately brought this issue to the public hearing.  

 

No other members of the village council have stepped forward to disclose that there was any public work or discussion of the proposals that Mayor Stanczyk sponsored on July 21.  They may have been just as surprised to review their agenda package and find much, much, more in play than a fire station.

 

And that, my friends, is not transparency in government.

 

This plan may signal a major change in policy as well as a significant shift in property uses. I believe that any detailed change of the Comprehensive Development Master Plan should be done in public with full disclosure and invitation for the public to participate - from the beginning, not after the details are up for hearing.  First notice should not be left to the bare legal notice requirements and posting on the agenda days prior to the actual hearing. 

 

Shelley's own e-mail blast of July 20 (the day prior to the scheduled hearing) made reference only to Palmer and the fire station with NO MENTION of the homes element:

*Tomorrow night, July 21, 2014 at 7 PM there will be a Zoning Hearing with applicants:  The Palmetto Bay Village Center and Palmer Trinity School. Links to the applications and you can watch on WBAY (77 or 99) or on the website live.  This application from the Palmetto Bay Village Center includes the re-zoning for the planned Fire Station to serve the south end of Palmetto Bay.

 

In fact, even by clicking the link you still reach only the following:

July 21, 2014 - Zoning Hearing

Agenda

Documents relating to Items 3 a-d:  Palmetto Bay Village Center, 17901 Old Cutler Road

1) Staff Report

2) Zoning History

3) Posting

 

The title provides no reason to suspect that there is anything in play here other than approving a fire station.  It appears to me that this e-mail is also factually incorrect as it was the village (sponsored by Stanczyk) as the “applicant” because it was discussed at these proceedings that the Village of Palmetto Bay was the applicant, not the Palmetto Bay Village Center.

which I believe is inconsistent with her choice of language in the e-mail blast that: ”This application from the Palmetto Bay Village Center.”  

 

An interest reader is required to dive several clicks into the links to reach reference to 41 homes on 22+/- acres. And why would you take the time to go on the hunt if you were told the issue related to the fire station; an issue that has near universal support with the only issue being why was this issue neglected until the eve of election?  This is called ‘hiding in plain sight’ especially when no one can recall any history of a discussion, foreshadowing or even a tease of this housing project at any public meeting.

EDITOR UPDATE:  These questions are being asked both within as well as outside Palmetto Bay.  See EyeOnMiami: Question for South Dade Matters Blog. Guest Blog By Palmetto Bay Resident, Inquiring minds want to know....  The post is looking for answers. 

EOM calls it “The biggest story in Palmetto Bay…”

A possible Father's Day destination? EYE ON MIAMI: The FEC Boat Slip in Bicentennial/Museum Park will...

EYE ON MIAMI: The FEC Boat Slip in Bicentennial/Museum Park will...: U.S. Coast Guard Tall Ship, Eagle, will be docked at the FEC slip that Beckham and investors want to fill in.

You can visit the ship after its arrival on June 14th at 10a.m. It Departs June 17th.

How about a family visit to this ship as part of Father's Day activities? You can demonstrate your support for local parks and enjoy a national treasure.

CLICK HERE to view official information regarding the 2014 Eagle Summer Training Schedule (official US Coast Guard Academy web site regarding Tall Ship Eagle).  The full tour is listed as well as interesting background information.

EYE ON MIAMI: A special place in hell for this lady ... by gimleteye

EYE ON MIAMI: A special place in hell for this lady ... by gimleteye

Meeting Mon, July 1, beginning at 5:30 PM. EYE ON MIAMI: $20 billion in new nuclear at sea level? Get involved

EYE ON MIAMI: $20 billion in new nuclear at sea level? Get involved ...
Tropical Audubon and Sierra Club will host a special reception to discuss the upcoming FPL hearings on Turkey Point and the transmission lines.

The meeting is Monday, July 1st at 5:30 p.m. at the Doc Thomas House. The event starts with a networking happy hour, followed by the program at 6:30 p.m. 

There will be knowledgeable speakers to go over these issues and discuss how these projects affect you! Food and refreshments will be provided. Please follow the links for full information.

FPL Turkey Point Nuclear Hearings

Early Voting has started, but will it count? Providing you with a compilation of info on the Dolphins Stadium Bed Tax increase

Miami-Dade County - Elections - Welcome to the Elections Department!

Early Voting - on the Dolphin Stadium Bed Tax increase issue

Early voting officially starts today, Monday, April 29, and runs through 5 PM, Sunday. May 12. All this to lead up to the May 14 election on the Dolphin Stadium Bed Tax increase - MAYBE.   Absentee ballots were mailed out and many are already tricking back in, but as Patricia Mazzei, of the Miami Herald, reported, This is a "...Miami-Dade election so unusual that the whole thing could be called off by the end of the week." So what else is new here. Isn't that why we live here? 'Cause it is just so darn interesting to see how things will turn out.

(Following info from Miami-Dade elections website): Why Wait? Click here to see the Early Voting wait times The Early Voting period's range of days and choice of a convenient voting site near your home or place of employment makes it an ideal option.

Please go to the Voter Toolkit for details on what to bring.
_______________________________________________

Can't decide how to vote? I have posted some additional information taken from online Miami Herald, blog or website posts of information (I will add the official pro-tax website link if someone sends the link to me):

Eye on Miami: How The Marlins Stadium Deal Has Changed South Florida and
       Absentee Ballots Have Gone Out on Corporate Welfare for Dolphin's Billionaire Owner.
South Dade Matters: The Dolphins Deal: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Stop the Stadium Madness
Prior Post, South Dade Updates: Cutler Bay Mayor Ed MacDougall says "Stop the Stadium Madness!" and he wants other elected officials and everyone to join him.
Political Cortadito: Get informed: Dolphins stadium debates kick off  and 
       Anti Dolphins stadium team’s silence is not golden
Miami Herald: Early voting for Miami Dolphins stadium referendum begins Monday amid uncertainty in Tallahassee

EYE ON MIAMI: Redland Farmers are Pissed Over Proposed Dump. By Geniusofdespair

EYE ON MIAMI: Redland Farmers are Pissed Over Proposed Dump. By Geniusofdespair: When 80 people show up in the Redland to protest a dump that is like 2,000 people in your neighborhood. People are pissed! Here is a letter to the Mayor that Eye on Miami obtained. I don't think that Carlos Gimenez is going to like the tone of the letter - he can be prickly - but hey, these are mad farmers and I don't blame them and I totally agree with nixing the dump:

Click the EOM headline at top to read the complete Eye On Miami blog post. The full text of the letter to Mayor Gimenez and staff as well as post comments are worth the read and your consideration. 

EYE ON MIAMI: ALERT THERE IS MORE TIME TO VOTE: TODAY and MONDAY! By Geniusofdespair

EYE ON MIAMI: ALERT THERE IS MORE TIME TO VOTE: TODAY and MONDAY! By Geniusofdespair

View this Eye On Miami report -

VERY IMPORTANT:

In Miami-Dade, voters can request an absentee ballot in person, and turn it in, between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday, and between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday at the elections headquarters at 2700 NW 87th Ave., Doral.

YOU CAN VOTE TODAY!

See the Miami Herald: Miami-Dade to allow voters to request and cast absentee ballots in person Sunday, by Patricia Mazzei, reporting that After the Florida Democratic Party sued in Miami federal court to ask for extended early voting, the Miami-Dade elections supervisor announced that it will open its headquarters Sunday afternoon to allow voters to request and cast absentee ballots in person
 

EYE ON MIAMI: The 10 Top Re-uses for Parrot Jungle? ... by gimleteye

EYE ON MIAMI: The 10 Top Re-uses for Parrot Jungle? ... by gimleteye

Eye on Miami (EOM) is seeking suggestions for how to best reuse Jungle Island.  Go to the blog and add your own suggestions with the other readers. EOM states that the winner will be pulled from a hat at an upcoming joint meeting of the City and County Commissions.

This tongue in cheek blog post is generated out of the latest in the Jungle Island saga.  Read the latest article in the Miami Herald: Cash-strapped Jungle Island falls short in bid for expansion on Miami’s Watson Island, by Kathleen McGrory. 

It is reported that the Jungle Island and Miami city officials have not been able to reach a deal on a proposed expansion of the park. Jungle Island says it will reconsider its plans and do its best to make a $2 million payment on a federal loan due in August.

 “Jungle Island has made the decision to put its expansion plans on hold and reconsider our options for the future at this time,” park officials wrote in a statement.

Commission Vice Chairman Marc Sarnoff said the aviary attraction is simply reading the tea leaves.

“They see there is no stomach for any further concessions,” he said.

In the statement, Jungle Island officials said they plan to “meet obligations,” the most pressing of which is the $2 million payment on a federal loan due in August.

The iconic zoological park and banquet hall has been bleeding money since its 1997 move from Pinecrest to Watson Island, and has failed to follow through on a number of promises to city officials. All told, Jungle Island owes more than $26 million to the city and county, which have made most of the payments on the federal loan. The city also loaned the business $800,000 to help it pay back taxes in 2009.

In addition, the park has not been able to pay rent on its city-owned property in more than three years.

It is time for you, the reader and taxpayer, to have your say.  Have at it.

EYE ON MIAMI: June 26th: Respond to FPL. By Geniusofdespair

EYE ON MIAMI: June 26th: Respond to FPL. By Geniusofdespair

Interested in making your voice heard on the proposed FPL rate increase?   Tuesday is the day.  The Public Service Commission is holding public hearings on proposed rate hikes.  The PSC will be in Miami this Tuesday, June 26th. The PSC will hold a public meeting 9:00 am at the Dade County Auditorium, 2901 West Flagler St, and a second meeting 4:00 pm at Florida Memorial College, 15800 NW 42nd Ave, Miami Gardens 

Click the link above to read more regarding the proposal and what you can do on these issues.

EYE ON MIAMI: Help Educate Voters to Combat Absentee Ballot Fraud. By Geniusofdespair

EYE ON MIAMI: Help Educate Voters to Combat Absentee Ballot Fraud. By Geniusofdespair
Click the above link to read Eye On Miami and the initiative to guard against ballot theft/exploitation.  Do you know any candidate who won at early voting and on election day, but the election results turned on Absentee Ballots?  Uncovering the issue is one thing, but now Eye On Miami is following through and has issued a call to action.   The Miami-Dade County Elections Department will be providing supervised voting for absent electors residing in assisted living facilities within Miami-Dade County; ensuring that every resident living in the facilities is able to cast his/her vote in a safe and convenient environment free from fear, intimidation or exploitation. You can be part of this and make sure elections are not won ball the AB gatherers.  PLEASE VOLUNTEER FOR THIS TRAINING by calling Gary Hartfield at 305.499.8372. We can help stop absentee ballot fraud with this program, do your civic duty! Remember, as Eye On Miami points out: CLOSE ELECTIONS ARE BEING STOLEN by absentee ballot fraud!

Here is a letter from Election Supervisor Penny Townsley describing the program:

In this important election year, the Miami-Dade Elections Department is preparing for the implementation of a countywide voter education campaign. A number of outreach events are scheduled across the County to inform voters about redistricting, registration, and voter protection. Specifically, this Department will be providing supervised voting for absent electors residing in assisted living facilities within Miami-Dade County; ensuring that every resident living in the facilities is able to cast his/her vote in a safe and convenient environment free from fear, intimidation or exploitation.

Since this is going to be a busy election year, we are in the need of volunteers to assist us. Teams consisting of representatives from different political parties will be assigned to participate in various events to educate voters. Training will be provided and every effort will be made to ensure our volunteers are knowledgeable of all election related rules and regulations. We hope that you will join us in making sure the upcoming August 14th Primary Election and November 6th General Election are a success by providing your time which, in turn, gives our voters confidence in the electoral process.

If you want make an impact on your community and be a part of this important democratic process, please contact Gary Hartfield at 305.499.8372 to become a part of our team.

Sincerely,

Penelope Townsley Supervisor of Elections

EYE ON MIAMI: Burythelines.com : check it out ... by gimleteye

EYE ON MIAMI: Burythelines.com : check it out ... by gimleteye

  

health...safety...environment...economic effects...

Tell FPL they should do what is best for the residents and businesses of Miami-Dade County and bury the lines. We are already paying for them every month on our power bill; we shouldn’t have to pay for them with the health of our children and families, and the economy our community.

The Better Energy Alliance (BEA) is a Miami-Dade-based, 501(c)4 organization dedicated to the belief that any new power transmission lines to be run through the county, whether through a commercial or residential route, should be undergrounded for the safety and economic security of the residents of our community.

Another nail in the coffin of local authority - local decisions on land use targeted

Florida State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff (District 25) has introduced an amendment to pending legislation that will gut local authority and rule making in regard to amending their development master plans.  There is nothing subtle about this amendment which is clear in its intent:

“A local government may not adopt or impose any supermajority voting requirement, by charter provision, ordinance, or otherwise, for the transmittal or adoption of amendments to the comprehensive plan.”

The Florida Senate will take up a bill called HB 4003, today, Monday, March 5th. If passed, the bill will terminate a state program intended to provide grants for the redevelopment of urban centers. The proposed amendment would strip all local municipalities in the state of Florida of their current ability to require a super majority vote in changing comprehensive land use plans. 

As reported both on Eye on Miami and in the Miami Herald, this is Tallahassee's reaction to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s declaration made at the State of the County Address that he will push to strengthen the urban development boundary by increasing the requirement for approval and transmittal of Comp Plan changes from 2/3 to 3/4 vote of the County Commission members.   

The effects of the this bill, if amended, and passed into law, will be that the Florida Legislature  will remove the ability of the County and all Florida municipalities to set rules to guard against urban sprawl on its western and southern fringes.

Review the Miami Herald article posted Sunday, March 4, 2012, Amendment to Florida bill could make it easier to move Miami-Dade’s urban development boundary

Read the environmentalists concerns: Bogdanoff: doing the bidding of the Great Destroyers, Eye on Miami, posted Sunday, March 4, 2012.  "Whether you live in Florida or not, please see below for a summary of how this bill will impact critical federal lands (you own them wherever you happen to live) and wildlife habitat in one of our planet’s most unique ecosystems - the Florida Everglades. Senator Bogdanoff’s legislation is meant to accomplish one goal - encourage more residential and commercial growth in still undeveloped areas of Florida including lands outside the Miami-Dade Urban Development Boundary and adjacent to Biscayne and Everglades National Parks. Hopefully, asking Senator Bogdanoff to pull amendment #832626 - for the sake of the little which remains of natural Florida - will get the job done."
 

EYE ON MIAMI: Absentee Ballot Fraud: Commissioner Rebeca Sosa is Moving on Eye On Miami's Plea. By Geniusofdespair

EYE ON MIAMI: Absentee Ballot Fraud: Commissioner Rebeca Sosa is Moving on Eye On Miami's Plea. By Geniusofdespair

Click on the hyperlink above to read the Eye on Miami post regarding Absentee Ballot Fraud and County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa resolution regarding adding a penalty to Miami-Dade County's Absentee Ballot Code.

Commissioner Sosa will also sponsor a companion resolution urging the State Legislature to make improper collection of absentee ballots a felony.

Keep your "Eye" out for how this all ends up.

EYE ON MIAMI: Be At Deering Estate September 17th! By Geniusofdespair

EYE ON MIAMI: Be At Deering Estate September 17th! By Geniusofdespair

Read this Eye On Miami post for all the information.

Annual Conservation Workshop, free and open to the public

Sat., Sept. 17 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. - The Deering Estate

Get involved and participate by helping set TAS' Conservation Agenda in the coming year! Tropical Audubon Society's Annual Conservation Workshop will be held at The Deering Estate Visitor Center from 9-3 p.m.

EYE ON MIAMI: Against: mortgage reduction ... by gimleteye

EYE ON MIAMI: Against: mortgage reduction ... by gimleteye:

I agree with Gimleteye.  Click on the EYE ON MIAMI link above to read his entire article:

There are not enough four-letter words in the English language to express how I feel about "mortgage reduction".

Why should I bear the cost of others' mistakes? To keep the economy from sinking into a depression. Then why shouldn't renters, college students living at home who are old enough to vote or serve in the military, why shouldn't Americans who scrimped, saved and sacrificed to make their monthly mortgage payments be given the same deal as someone who would benefit from a reduced mortgage? Free money for a free market.

Gimleteye's comments should be viewed as a call to arms in a brewing storm in regards to where can the credit/housing industry and their unwitting accomplices, both the credit frenzied and the outright mortgage frauds, pin this financial mess.  

My family has always lived very conservatively in regards to credit, possibly too conservatively. We never enjoyed the (for the time being) many perks and toys that the no verification loans provided. Of course, we are presently rewarded by being relatively well positioned in this present economy.  Unless, of course, we suddenly have to tread water while having "mortgage reduction" for others firmly placed about our ankles.  

I recognize that there are those who did not create the downturn they they find themselves in, but everyone has always known about the risks. Those who acted in a fiscally conservative manner have better weathered the storm. We all make our own decisions and it should remain that way in a free market economy,  We should not be punished by having other make us the guarantors on bad loans.  That would be rewarding fiscally risky behavior.

In other words, can I now go out and overbuy, go up side down and now be subsidized by those who did not? Why I should I not also be considered for a "mortgage reduction"?